EpiloguePrologue: My Love Will Never Change
by Ilyce V. Mairenne
Summary: A DuzellxIshtar twist on Judal's end to Vampire Game... The canon ending was a tragedy to DuzellxIshtar fans - but it doesn't have to be. Confessions, promises, true love, maybe even a kiss? It's all there! The story promised has arrived!
1. Comfort

**Epilogue/Prologue:**

**"My Love Will Never Change"**

"Vampire Game" character, story, and plot are (c) Judal.

This story, however, is (c) Ilyce V. MairenneFanFiction

* * *

_This is my take on the epilogue of Vampire Game, with added and reworked scenes (added dialogue, descriptions of emotions, etc.) that takes the canon ending, but with a DuzellxIshtar twist! _

* * *

Time-frame: Volume 15, middle of act. 15

This first scene is the only scene that has no canon backing

(as in, there is no scene like it in the book - though I wish there were).

It fits though, taking place right after Duzell visits Vord, before Ishtar visits the King.

All the other scenes after are based on the actually manga (official English translation),

so don't be surprised if you see some familiar quotes!

Of course though, this will end up IshtarXDuzell (and not one-sided),

but it'll be more than a one-shot, so please be patient!

I'll try to keep updates and give you all heads on the time fame each scene...

Well, here's the first scene, so enjoy!

Note: It's done in both Ishtar's and Duzell's POV, but it's one scene... Hope that's not too confusing...

* * *

FORMATTING:

Told in parts, half from Ishtar's POV, half from Duzell's POV.

_Italics stands for Ishtar's POV._

Regular will be for Duzell's POV.

**Bold stands for thoughts/recollections/etc.**

WARNING: If you have not finished reading the Vampire Game series, and are planning to, know that there are MAJOR spoilers ahead. I may or may not release another version of this first scene with the spoilers toned down, but if you would like me to, message me.

As always, any comments/critism is welcome & appreciated!

* * *

**Scene I.i - "Seeking Comfort"**

He found her in the small courtyard, seated by the edge of the long-forgotten fountain there. The murky water stared back at the forlorn princess of Pheliosta. Weeds poked through the foundations, causing cracks within the laid stones. Not that it really mattered. The weatherworn surface had long lost its smooth, refined texture and the veins in the marble appeared to be just normal cracks in rock from afar.

Veins... like wrinkles, which the vampire king was already seeing lining the eyes of his beloved princess.

**Ishtar... You...**

Though tears were no longer falling from her eyes, he could tell she'd been crying a lot - he'd known it earlier. Her eyes were red and puffy, and the sparkling emeralds in them were galaxies away. A hand reached unconsciously for his heart, as though to ease the dull ache there. Whether he wanted to or not, he could feel her pain, always. A familiar voice taunted, **Why do you care?** but he ignored it. Though he'd refused to acknowledge it before to the half-demon, his visit to Rishas - no, Lailis - had cleared up any last doubt in his mind. He was, without a doubt, hopelessly and completely in love with her, with all of his being, and what remained of his soul...

**Now's not the time to contemplate this. I need to get her inside. She'll get sick in this falling rain. Curse that Illsaide! And Darres for that matter! What was he thinking letting her run loose like this?**

He tried to speak, but something hard and bitter had lodged in his throat at seeing the unspeakable pain in the girl's eyes.

**How long have you been suffering like this, Ishtar?** he longed to ask her. **How long have you been laughing just to push back your worries and fears to another day?**

Clearing his throat softly, Duzell attempted to bring her highness into a better mood with a light chiding, spoken with just enough of a smirk to show her he was teasing. "What is this, Ishtar? We're in another kingdom and you're still sneaking out at night?"

The object of his affections turned to him, startled, but relaxed as soon as she realized who it was. "Duzie..." she began, lips starting to curve up out of habit for a retort. He would be forever left to guess the intended reply though, because it was never uttered. The smile vanished without ever becoming _her_ smile, and the princess's voice faded into a hurt, bewildered look that alarmed the vampire king.

"Ishtar?"

Without a word, the princess launched herself into her arms, burying herself against his chest in a flurry of tears and mumbled words. Dumbstruck, he simply stood there, frozen in shock at the turn of events.

**Hey... Ishtar... Is this really okay?**

* * *

_The last thing Ishtar could remember was being told to go to bed. Both she and Darres were told to go to bed, actually, though midnight had already flown past. Darres had fought it, and despite her reassurance that she would go straight to bed and that he could go one night without being her bodyguard, it was Selen who reasoned him into letting her alone for the night, saying they both needed time and rest to get over what had happened._

_So, resignedly, Darres had watched her - up to the door, she was sure of it - head back to her room, where she tried to sleep. But sleep was not forthcoming. The room, the sheets, the blankets, it all made her claustrophobic - the whole castle made her claustrophobic. As soon as she closed her eyes the image would appear again, and more prophetic pictures would follow... while she could do nothing..._

_**No! No! I won't let that happen!**_

_The castle was surprisingly quiet for a place where a murder had taken place - it made it simple for the princess to wander around. She lost track of time, and wound up in front of the old fountain, caught in thoughts and fears and emotions._

_Ishtar wanted to smash the reflection in the water, wanted to scream and yell as the tears began streaming down, wanted to tear apart the image, the person, responsible for this - _herself_._

_**I said I wouldn't let anyone get hurt because of me anymore!**_

_There was no telling how long she sat there, just reveling in her own misery and guilt._

_**If it wasn't for me, he'd still be alive. If I'd just agreed to marry him in the first place, and not allowed the whole deal with Darres, then we'd never have had to mess with stupid Lassan and Keld - the old fart that he is - would have been happy and Aunt Sonia wouldn't have to have her name dragged down like this and everyone... everyone... we would have been happy, right?**_

_Ishtar looked at the reflection painfully. "Give him back!" she wanted to scream at it. "Give them all back! I was wrong! I made a mistake!" The same green eyes, enshrouded with dark black hair, simply matched her gaze silently. "Give him back..."_

_And then, a voice broke through the trance._

"What is this, Ishtar? We're in another kingdom and you're still sneaking out at night?"

_The next thing she knew, she was sobbing against his chest with her arms wrapped around him._

_Ishtar hadn't thought about why she hugged him. She hadn't intended to - she wanted to jest back with him, laugh it off, pretend like nothing had happened - but when she saw him there, all the worries and fears and feelings came back and she was just a 16-year-old girl again and she wanted - she needed someone to tell her that it was alright and everything was still going to be okay._

_"He killed him, Duzie! Duzie, he killed him..." she cried, beating weakly against his chest, letting out her frustration at being unable to do anything, allowing the stream of tears she'd bottled up - to look strong, like a queen-to-be should - flow down her cheeks and soak the smooth fabric of the vampire king's shirt. "...I can't believe he's dead! I can't... what are we supposed to do now?"_


	2. Confession

FORMATTING (review):

Told in parts, half from Ishtar's POV, half from Duzell's POV.

_Italics stands for Ishtar's POV._

Regular will be for Duzell's POV.

**Bold stands for thoughts/recollections/etc.**

* * *

A/N: Okay, I was wrong - this may be the longest scene - or it may be yet to come... But this is definitely one of the most wanted scenes! This and the next one! To see what I mean, please read!

My apologies though - Ishtar kind of got out of hand... Please let me know if you think she's being too dramatic (even for being overwhelmed with stuff) XP

Oh, and second warning: angst and fluff. Kind of. P

As always, any comments/critism is welcome & appreciated!

* * *

**Scene I.ii - Serious Confession**

...a continuation of the first scene - too long to put in one chapter...

* * *

When he finally got over the shock of what was happening, the vampire king tentatively wrapped his arms around the hysterical girl. He was glad Ishtar couldn't see his face - he was looking quite distressed - never, in all his years, had he dealt with anything so hard... as a crying girl.

**What the heck am I supposed to do? Do I hug her? Talk to her? Listen to her? Kiss her?**

The last thought was tempting, but Duzell knew he would feel guilty if he indulged himself in her moment of weakness - though she did owe him for all those times he got kissed in her place...

**What's getting into me? Now's not the time for that! Besides... Ishtar would hate me if I did.**

The once-feared mass murderer gazed down tenderly at the slender shaking shoulders, sighing inwardly.

**You're definitely rubbing off on me, princess.**

The king harkened back to earlier remarks of how soft he'd become, but it no longer bothered him. So long as Ishtar was safe, he realized, it didn't matter to him what he became. Even if she never returned his feelings... so long as she was alive and well and he could watch over her - that would be happiness enough for him.

Gently, he brought a hand up to Ishtar's head, smoothing her hair lovingly while keeping her secure against him with his other arm. "It'll be alright, Ishtar." He kept his voice calm and soft, trying to reassure the shaken princess that her world was still there. "The rest of us are all still here. Everything's going to be okay, I promise. I won't let Lassan hurt anyone else."

**I'll kill him if he makes you cry again! No, I should kill him just for this. But I need to get Ishtar back to Pheliosta. It's too dangerous here...**

The rain was beginning to subside, finally, and Ishtar's incoherent speech had reduced to quiet sniffles. Duzell could tell she was getting tired - the princess was leaning more and more of her body weight against him. With one smooth motion, the vampire king swept her off her feet, literally, until he was carrying her bridal style in his arms. "Ishtar, you're tired, soaked, and it's almost morning," he explained to the surprised princess. "I'll listen to whatever you have to say, but let me bring you to your room first. We'll walk, because this castle's 'decorations (1)' put a damper on my powers."

She nodded, too tired to argue or order him to put her down, and instead wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his chest, eyes closed. "This is unlike you, princess," he wanted to chide her. "Where's your boundless energy?" Somewhere inside though, he knew it wasn't the time for jokes, and Duzell kept silent. As much as he wanted to see her the way he knew her, Ishtar was human. He knew all along that she would eventually lose the carefree spirit of childhood, especially once she became queen.

"Duzie?" There was concern in her voice, as well as confusion, when he suddenly stopped moving - however, he heard none of it, the revelation suddenly hitting him like a taunting voice in his mind.

**She's human. She's going to change as time goes on...**

"I love her the way she is now!" Unconsciously, his grip tightened around the princess, almost desperately, as his previous encounter with Lailis-Rishas-returned to him. "You don't have to do this, you know..."

**...She's going to grow old...**

"...Humans are reincarnated, too..."

**...and then...**

"...That girl you love will be reborn..."

**She's going to die.**

"...You might have a better chance in her next life."

**And I won't be able to do anything about it.**

(1) referring to legsarams

* * *

_It was scaring her, how tightly he was holding. But it was like he wasn't even paying attention - his face was almost blank and she couldn't read the expression he had all._

_"Duzie... Duzie." Shaking him did nothing. Snapping, waving a a hand in front of his face - Ishtar tried all the traditional methods, but with no response. It was like he was under a spell or something. He wouldn't respond to anything. Finally, she pulled his head down towards her, until they were inches apart. "Duzie! Hey, Duzie, snap out of it!"_

_Finally, the vampire king seemed to hear her calling, blinking at last and showing some signs of life. "What is it? What's wrong?" His vibrant eyes met hers for a moment before he turned away - or at least, tried to. The princess turned his face back, glaring at him, but worry underlined the frustration in her eyes. Underneath that, fear. "Tell me! I'm not going to let you go until you do!"_

_**Did something else happen?**_

_The worries rose up again, and her imagination raced as she thought of all the possible things that might have gone wrong, all the people that might have been hurt this time._

_**Was it Vord? He got arrested, didn't he? Did they do something to him? Did something happen to Falan after we left? Is it Darres? Please don't tell me something happened to Darres! I shouldn't have let him go off alone!**_

_A small sigh interupted her thoughts, as her unspoken question was answered. "He's safe, Ishtar. You don't have to worry about him." In his crimson eyes though, foreign for her to see, was pain._

_"Then what is bothering you, Duzie? Tell me! We're friends, right?" She noticed that he almost seemed to flinch at the word, and turned away, pulling out of her grasp._

_**What's going on, Duzie? Why are you acting like this? I feel like... I'm losing you...**_

_A tear slipped down her cheek, as the princess mumbled, "Don't you trust me anymore?"_

_**Why is everything changing like this? What happened? Why you too? Duzie...**_

_Memories rose up unbidden, seeming so far away. They used to talk so much before. Was this because of Phelios? Is he somehow unable to kill Phelios, and that's why he's upset? Or is it just that this war... this war is changing everyone and everything?_

_"Every... everyone... First, Yuujel's killed by the king!" More tears fell, and Ishtar moved her hands to her face, trying to stop the cascade, as the torrent of her worries continued. "Then Vord got arrested because he tried to attack the king! Not to mention he's the prince here. Darres and Selen are getting closer. Illsaide is nowhere to be seen and even if we find him, I can't persuade him to go back! Razenia's going to side against us! War's coming and more people are going to die and now you're acting like you hate me!" She turned and began sobbing against his chest. "I don't know what's going on anymore!"_

_"Princess..." the vampire king whispered. She felt his hand against the back of his head again, comforting her._

_**I don't want this, Duzie. I don't want to lose you... Ever...**_

_"I'm scared, Duzie." She confided in him, the first and only person she ever trusted. "Before, my greatest fear was dying, because I'd never be able to see the ones I loved anymore... But now..." The princess choked back a sob. "Now... I'm losing them anyway... Duzie..."_

_"Hush," came the soothing whisper. "You have nothing to worry about. You're perfectly safe. We'll all stand by you till the end. We'll protect you Ishtar, with our li-"_

_"No!" she interupted , suddenly clutching his shirt tightly in her fists. "No! No more sacrifices! I don't want to see anyone else hurt because of me!" He didn't reply. "That means you too, Duzie! Promise me!"_

_His blood-colored gaze regarded her for a time, but he never answered, simply taking up his walk again. "It's late, princess. We should get you back to your room as soon as possible."_

* * *

He was surprised when she suddenly pushed herself out of his arms. "No! Not until you tell me what's been bothering you." Her stance was shaking, but the vampire king could see the determination burning in her emerald eyes. "I want to know the truth, Duzie. What's wrong?"

**The truth, Ishtar? Do you mean my feelings? Or do you mean about what I plan to do? ...Would you hate me if I told you?**

As if she could feel him starting to drift into his thoughts again, Ishtar suddenly pulled his face forward in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes, still edged with tears. "The truth," she demanded again.

It was the perfect moment. It was now or never. If he was going to lie to her...

**Forgive me, Ishtar... **

He leaned in towards her, watching her eyes widen in surprise but not backing down. A rare smile appeared on his face.

**...You're so determined...**

He knew he would hate himself later. But. He would hate himself either way. Before Ishtar could resist, the vampire king kissed her, softly, gently, lovingly, on the lips.

**...I'll tell you.**

"Ishtar, I'm in love with you."


End file.
